Headphones Give You Sound, but the Basslet Lets You Feel the Music

A successfully crowdfunded product, the Basslet, is the first wearable subwoofer for your body that sits on your wrists. We had the opportunity to check the product, so let’s get right into it.

With streaming audio becoming more and more popular, a growing concern for many people has been not the style or brand name of the headphones that they get, but the overall quality they receive. Here at Gear Diary, we’ve tested plenty of headphones ranging from $50 to over $700, and one thing holds the same no matter the price tag: we want great quality audio. That’s where the Basslet comes in. Worn the same way as a watch, the Basslet ($199) is a haptic subwoofer created by a company called Lofelt that promises to give you the sensation of a live concert on your wrist.

Since I wear my Apple Watch daily, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about replacing my watch with something that only served one function, so I opted to use the other wrist (because you know, we have two), and it didn’t feel too bad. Once on your wrist, the Basslet is virtually unnoticeable. It’s as light as my Apple Watch Series 1, so while I know it’s there if I’m looking at it, I can casually wear throughout the day, and it goes unnoticed. On the inside of the Basslet, there is a small vibrotactile actuator that creates vibrations that are so obvious on your wrist that they give you the ability to feel the sound as if you were sitting in the front row of a concert.

Lofelt built in a LoSound engine that is engineered to give frequencies from 10-250Hz that only your body can feel (and that nobody else can hear), which is just awesome. Now as a fan of music with a lot of “oomph” to it, I had to choose some of my personal favorites in order to put them to the test.

Fair warning, though, the Basslet requires a plug that fits into a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means for you iPhone 7 users, you have to use your handy-dandy dongle (bummer).

I hope the brand eventually decides to go completely wireless, giving you the ability to hear your music with Bluetooth. Nevertheless, here are a few songs I attempted to try out:

· Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like

· Migos – T-Shirt

· Chris Brown – Party

· Dreezy – Wasted

· Khalid – Saved

On Khalid’s “saved,” the acoustics sounded absolutely fantastic. Listening to other tracks such as Bruno’s “That’s What I Like,” I felt as though I was fully submerged in the track — like it almost felt like I was standing beside one of the speakers in a concert hall. Let’s just say it: Lofelt got it right regarding audio quality.

Now here’s where I think they could’ve done a bit better: Design.

While the Basslet looks nice in theory, I which it had some other functionality.

To be even more honest, the Basslet looks like a LoJack for your wrist, with its traditional black color and two subtle buttons on the side of the device.

After walking around with short sleeves on over the weekend, I turned the Basslet to my inner wrist so it wouldn’t be seen as me wearing “two watches,” but rather a watch and a bracelet. It didn’t hurt my inner wrist at all wearing it like this, but if the company could just use more of the band to make the Basslet itself more streamlined, I’d probably consider this an everyday wear for me.

Regarding wearing the Basslet long-term, I did notice some interesting “vibes” from my body even after listening to music. For example, I wore the Basslet to go on a long walk with my dog. Casually walking with the Basslet is fine as well, but about an hour later after turning everything off and just relaxing in the house, I could still feel vibrations. Maybe it’s because my body isn’t used to wearing the Basslet, and with more use, it will change, but it was a bit odd to have my body go through sensations beyond my control.

Overall, though, the Basslet works as promised and honestly sounds awesome. If you are a watch wearer, you may have to choose between the two unless, of course, you like to “double wrist.” The Basslet will cost you $199 in the US, or $179 in the U.K and available on Amazon, as well as Lofelt’s website.

The Basslet is a great little device that might save you a small fortune going to concerts or clubs since you can wear it on your wrist and get the same experience. Why not listen to your music at its full potential? Get a revolutionary experience with the Basslet today.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit

What I Like: Sounds amazing; Easy to set up and use

What needs Improvement: Doesn’t work with iPhone 7 models without the dongle; Doesn’t have any extra function beyond being a sub-woofer for your body

About the Author

Diehard Apple fanboy, and lover of all things tech. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Greg enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, family and friends, live sporting events, good bourbon, Tetris, and pizza. In that order.

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